The Arkansaw traveler., 1887-09-03
A coNEY ISLAND INCIDENT.
Alex. Sweet, in New York Mercury.


 Island not long since which, in my opinion, has not received that degree of attention from the press of the country which Its importance de- mands. refer to the purloining of policeman on Coney Island while a fence was being removed.
 Almost all kinds of property are liable to be stolen? Even the silk umbrella is not entirely safe in the vestibule of a church.
 In the north, in particular, there are the lady kleptomaniacs with their taking ways, and there are colored people in the south who steal pigs and bacon-pork reachers that they are.
 We read of man in the west who stole saw mill, and then went back after the pond, but never before did hear of policeman being stolen. The causes which led to this peculiar case oflarceny are certainly worth reciting.
 There is great deal of travel be- tween the clam chowder jungles of the West End and Brighton Beach, where brass band is supposed to be the cause of the great amount of dead fish to be found along the shore during the summer season.
 There is class of gentlemen in new York who are in the habit of taking thei-' affinities to Coney Island, which is justly celebrated for It's indestruct- ible clam chowder. After the affinity has, without any apparent effort, tele- scoped so many clans that her waist rises and falls with the tide, she says "What hallowing influence do the sweet strains of music weave around my soul? What 6 charm there is in music! Every pulsation of the soul Of life is an anthem. Every ripple of the waters, as they break upon the beach, Is hymn. Do take me to Brighton, George, where 1 can hear the gentle tootle- tootle of the tlutists and the sad tom tom of the punishers of the big drum." Then they go back to Brighton.
 After she has for ten minutes listened to the bang -whang a. bang of the full orchestra, shut off by degrees p, pp., ppp., pup, pup-until noth- ing Is heard but the leader shaking his stick, she says: "Dear me, don't you smell that clam chowder?" This means to go back to the clam chow der laboratories at West End.
 Of course this creates great deal of travel between Coney Island and Brighton, and cice cerSa. There is a generous rivalry between the stage line and the elevated road as to which shall get the bulk of the passenger traffic.
 The stage line transports the pas sengers, clans and all, along the beach for five cents, while the elevated road takes them by a circuitous inland route for three cents. The stage line, however, afforded superior facilities for watching the sea serpents at play, and was much patronized. Besides, taking a stage is next to taking buss, and perhaps it was this fact that caused the Coney Island visitors to patronize the stages until they became almost as crowded as Harlem flat or the store of a man who advertises lib- erally.
 Although fare saved amounts to more than beer gained, the elevated cars remained comparatively vacant, while stages were crowded. The ele- vated road could have fanked the stage line by erecting several dark tunnels through which the cars might pass, thus giving the flirtatious visit ors unusual facilities over the stage line, but they preferred to adopt cheaper method. The erection of tun- nels is very expensive.
 The elevated company built high fence that hid the stages from the view of the public and diverted the human tide of chowder seekers to the very door of their own depot, while ather-lunged lecturer, with d mouth like the tire of a wagon wheel, lured them through the turnstile by calling attention to the cheapness of the transit in bdsso profundo voice.
 The obstructing fence became some- what of an eyesore to the proprietor of the stage line, and he would have removed it if policeman had not loi- tered perpetually in the vicinity.
 One dark night the policeman was walking his beat twirling his hypno- tiger by the string after the manner of policemen, when all of a sudden dozen dark forms rushed upon him on the European plan.
 They consented to take care of his h; T l., l. l.